The Gnawsons Are Back and Other Stories

 

For several years, a busy beaver team has been building and rebuilding a dam and a beaver lodge at the local Botanical Gardens. We took a walk there recently as shown in the photos. Their original dam doesn’t seem to be in use now, but a few more beaver structures have been constructed along the way, as shown above.

Walking in the Garden

Fungus on a log. Is that poison ivy behind the log? Probably not but I wouldn’t touch it.

Indigenous Peoples Day

A sign in the gardens in appreciation of local indigenous people.

A native American wood carving from a trip to the Pacific Northwest a few years ago.

From a trip a few years ago: the opinion of the people of Alert Bay of the salmon farms in their waters.

Paul Kane, “Interior of a Chinook Lodge,” 1847. Illustration from 
Lewis and Clark among the Indians by James P. Ronda

In My Kitchen and in My Life

Nothing is really new in my kitchen this August, but we have been making good use of gadgets, furniture and so on that we already have. And we’ve enjoyed summer produce, buying local when we can find it, but also shopping at our most convenient local food store that happens to be Trader Joe’s. Here are a few photos of August foods from the market to our table and in our pantry.

August produce in my kitchen and at the markets.

Sheet pan chicken and potatoes.

Lamb stir-fry with rice and smashed cucumber salad. Trader Joe’s had great shaved lamb, perfect for this dish.

Charcoal-grilled lamb chops.

Corn is in season and local corn is delicious.
Unfortunately our next ears of corn were moldy and had to be thrown away. 

Ravioli toasted in a frying pan rather than steamed.

An omelet

Another omelet.

Fresh fruit from a neighbors trip to western Michigan.

Pancakes with the peaches and blueberries

Toaster waffles: a favorite breakfast this month.

Ice cream: always in my kitchen

In the Pantry

My messy pantry shelves.

Onions in the onion bin

Among other things: an order of jam from amazon.com

On the New Grill Pan

Chicken cooked on the new grill pan and served with a cucumber salad.

A few more dinners

Shrimp with rice and green peas

Vanilla pudding topped with local peaches

A Few More Thoughts for August

A Fascinating Artist Has Died

Yayoi Kusama (1929-2026) was a fascinating Japanese artist and sculptor. (link)

Summer Flowers are Still in Bloom

And I Got Snookered

Now in the pantry: a lifetime supply of off-brand peanut butter cups (note intentional misspelling).
I guess you have to be hyperaware ALL the time, even if you just want authentic REESES candy.

The real deal (that I don’t have)

Blog post © 2026 mae sander

Good to Eat, Pretty to See

 In the Garden

On the Table

Alice brought us Satchel’s Ribs for dinner. Mac and cheese, coleslaw, potato salad, and cornbread too.

The ribs were Evelyn’s treat (via Alice). We are really home now!

Photos ©2026 mae sander

Crathes Castle Garden and Sea Birds

This was the final tour on our cruise in the British Isles.

Birds Seen from the Ship

Thus begins the challenge of catching up with all the photos I took during the voyage while I had inadequate internet access to upload them and little time to create blog posts! This is shared with several weekend blogger collections.

Photos © 2026 mae sander